Castlefield

Campus News

Back to Brighton

We recently farewelled our graduating class of Year 12 from Brighton with a special assembly. The Junior School students decorated ties with colours, logos and designs that encapsulate the spirit of Castlefield. These were presented to each or our Year 12 students by the Year 4 leaders. Eight of our Year 12 girls, who commenced in Reception in 2010, also returned to the Early Learning Centre to visit and reminisce.

As a School and for the staff, it is with tremendous pride that we contribute to the growth and development of our students and their achievements, success and accomplishments. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the graduates’ lives at Haileybury, at the campus where their journey began.

Art emerges at Castlefield

The Arts hold a special place at Castlefield and the benefits of embracing the Arts in education cannot be underestimated. Art, in all its forms, allows students to express themselves in unique and profound ways and provides them with a medium through which they can communicate thoughts, feelings and perspectives.

Through the process of creating art, our students develop crucial skills. They learn to observe and interpret the world around them, fostering a deeper understanding of their environment. The ability to think critically and problem-solve is honed as they make artistic decisions and overcome creative challenges. Patience and perseverance become second nature as they work on their projects that require time and dedication to complete.

Art also nurtures empathy and emotional intelligence. It encourages students to explore their emotions and to empathise with the experiences and perspectives of others. When we view a piece of art, we often connect with the artist on a personal level and gain insight into their thoughts and emotions. This fosters a sense of community and understanding among students.

On Friday, 6 October, we were thrilled to host Emerge, our first art exhibition for a number of years. We could not be prouder of the musicians who performed and of each student from ELC to Year 8 who had art on display.

Melbourne Cup holiday

Just a reminder to families that Monday, 6 November is a student-free day so students will not be required at school. Of course, Tuesday, 7 November, is the Melbourne Cup holiday.

Please ensure if you have a family commitment and need to collect your child early that this needs to be communicated to the school via the myHaileybury and placed in the student’s diary if they are in Junior School.

Traffic and parking reminder

Just a reminder for families that South Road is the preferred pick-up and drop-off location for students in Junior and Middle Schools and the roundabout is an efficient way to collect your child.

Staff are on duty before and after school to help children remain safe within our grounds.

For Senior School students, South Road is the only drop-off and pick-up area for parents who drive their child to school. We encourage older students to walk, ride or take public transport rather than being driven to school.

Early Learning Centre

Let’s be friends!

Friendships play an important role in a child’s life. Returning from term break, we saw the delight as children rekindled friendships. Educators have intentionally provided environments where friendship skills are fostered and encouraged, recognising that children learn so much from each other as they partner up, communicate, cooperate, negotiate, listen, share and discuss ideas. Importantly, they have fun with each other!

“Children are moving and working with many ideas, but their most important task is to build relationships with friends. They are trying to understand what friendship is. Friendship is the way children can understand the identity of themselves and the identity of others.” Professor Loris Malaguzzi, Socio-cultural theorist.

Sunscreen superheroes

As the sun is shining brightly, please remember the importance of protecting our children’s precious skin from harmful UV rays. We have many sunscreen stations within the ELC for families to access. We will support your child to reapply throughout the day, but all children must have sunscreen on and a hat available at the beginning of the day.

A daily UV rating, as stated by the SunSmart app, is displayed in the ELC foyer to make sure sun safety is part of our sunny adventures and so our children can shine safely and be a sunscreen superhero!

Junior School

Grab a green

Year 1 students learnt about the benefits of recycling, reusing and repurposing and they have also been learning about plant life cycles and healthy eating. After their visit from The Curious Nutritionist, they were eager to plant some seedlings and so they made paper pots using old newspaper to plant vegie seedlings in our community garden. The garden beds are near the entrance to the pool, and everyone is welcome to pluck some herbs, to pull a leaf and propagate a succulent, to grab a green to eat, or to just dig and look for worms!

From farm to table

Our Preps visited Myuna Farm to wrap up their learning of the inquiry concept, ‘Everything we eat is grown on farms’.

‘I loved feeding the buffaloes. I learnt that wheat grows on farms and that gets turned into flour to make our bread’. Alex

‘I learnt about how technology can help farms. I liked seeing the parrots at the farm.’ Victoria

‘Milk comes from cows and can be turned into yoghurt, cheese and ice-cream.’ Addy

‘I saw ducks swimming around a pond. Ducks give meat and eggs.’ Sonny

‘I loved seeing the fruit bats.’ Harvey

‘I learnt how to milk a goat.’ Grace

Unveiling our new playground

Term 4 saw the unveiling of our great new playground in East Quad! Everyone is excited for the extra challenges and activities that it provides.

Middle School

A great term

What a delight it was to have our Middle School students return this term, refreshed after their holidays, with great stories to tell and with an appreciation of the sunshine and some outdoor classes on Day 1.

Term 4 is a term of great change for our young students. It’s a time of preparation as they move towards the next year level, and we look for students to demonstrate the behaviours of the year level they will transition into. Often, this means an increase in independence, academic accountability and behaviour within the classroom and school grounds. Term 4 is an opportunity for students to keep bringing their best every day and to find success and growth in all areas of school life.

Our Years 7 and 8 students are readying themselves for exams. Through our four stages within our Culture of Learning they will hone their study skills and positive approaches to revision and demonstrate what it means to be prepared, ready, engaged and reflective of their learning. We wish them all the best for these next few weeks.

There is a lot to look forward to this term, too. Expect plenty of events and exciting opportunities from excursions and graduations to Up Day and assemblies!

A SunSmart reminder

As a SunSmart school, all students must wear a hat for recess and lunchtime. Please ensure your child has a labelled hat for school as hats are compulsory for Terms 1 and 4 and are encouraged during other terms, too.

Katrina Manson

Head of Castlefield (Brighton)

Monique Chapman

President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield